


thinkin' about you

by scoups_ahoy



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Falling In Love, Fluff, Getting Together, He's also pining, M/M, Yoon Jeonghan is Whipped, and joshua is very tired, and there's seoksoo if u squint really hard, barista!seungcheol, i love that that's a tag, other members are mentioned, seungcheol is just cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:14:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24614347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scoups_ahoy/pseuds/scoups_ahoy
Summary: jeonghan has spent his entire college career in love with the resident campus-barista-slash-popular-boy, choi seungcheol, who he's convinced is out of his league.  is he though? or is seungcheol just as in love as jeonghan is?(spoiler: he is)
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan
Comments: 13
Kudos: 280





	thinkin' about you

**Author's Note:**

> this is one of my apologies for the angst-fest that is and will be "ephemeral gods" from here on out lmao. i'm not exactly thrilled with it but it's fluff and i tried my best c:

“Is he looking over here?”

Joshua glances up from his laptop and sighs heavily as his eyes find their target behind Jeonghan. Something mischievous plays at his lips. “No, he’s working. Just like he was when you asked five minutes ago.”

Jeonghan blushes at his best friend’s insinuation, face and cheeks heating up as he tries to ignore his smirk. But nonetheless he turns around in his chair and steals a look at the cafe counter. Steals a look at the devastatingly handsome barista standing on the other side of it. Right now he’s leaning over it, rag in hand, plush lips curved into a focused pout as he cleans. Occasionally he breaks said pout when his fluffy curls fall into his eyes and he has to blow them out. It’s one of Jeonghan’s favorite habits of his and he watches the barista do it right now, feeling a smile spread across his lips.

To patrons of the university coffee shop, this handsome barista is Cheol with a cutesy smiley face drawn at the end of his name tag. To fellow students he’s Seungcheol, top of his class in the business school - or he’s simply _“you know, that hot guy with the hair and the lips? Who’s friends with the entire soccer team?”._ To his friends he’s Coups (and anyone outside of his decently sized friend group has no idea where that nickname came from). To professors, he’s Choi Seungcheol, star student with an impressive work ethic and a heart of gold.

To Jeonghan?

To Jeonghan he’s… well. He’s the occasional classmate. Skilled barista.

And three-year campus crush.

Campus _love_ if you listen to anything Joshua Hong says (and Jeonghan recommends that you don’t).

And to Seungcheol, Jeonghan imagines he isn’t much. Frequent customer, at best (and frequent means daily, for the last two semesters; his bank account is not thrilled). As far as Jeonghan knows, he doesn’t notice him in class. But why would he, when Jeonghan always situates himself in the back rows, far enough away that he can’t hear Seungcheol’s distracting whispers when he talks to his friends. Far enough away that Jeonghan can’t swoon every time he sees Seungcheol’s big doe eyes.

Because with a hundred and fifty people sitting between them, Jeonghan can pretend that his crush is nothing.

“You know,” Joshua says, breaking him from his reverie, and it’s only then that he realizes Seungcheol has moved on to cleaning one of the espresso machines. His back is to Jeonghan now and he really shouldn’t be focusing on the way Seungcheol’s muscles flex underneath his black t-shirt.

So he doesn’t; he turns the right way in his chair and looks at Joshua’s amused grin. “What?”

“You could always go _talk_ to him,” he says, “instead of pining over him like this.”

The thought is enough to send a nervous pang through Jeonghan’s body and he immediately shakes his head. Like a reflex. “No way. He’s Choi Seungcheol. I can’t just go up and talk to him.”

“And why not?”

Jeonghan knows Joshua’s tired of his shit; this has been going on as long as they’ve been roommates. But that’s the point: Jeonghan’s had this crush since the first day of freshman orientation and now they’re in the last semester of their last year (classes officially start tomorrow but Jeonghan had dragged Joshua here today under the pretense of “studying the first chapters of our textbooks”). So really he’s content to just let it go on like this. Keep pining in silence until they graduate and he never has to see Choi Seungcheol again. And this is something he keeps trying to explain to Joshua, who just doesn’t seem to get it. So with a sigh he huffs out, “I’ve told you. Besides, he’s way out of my league.”

Joshua snorts. “That’s a load of bullshit and you know it. He might be Choi Seungcheol but you’re Yoon Jeonghan. Smart, sexy, and funny. All the guys should be lining up just to get your damn number. Seungcheol included.”

At this point in their friendship Jeonghan has become almost immune to Joshua’s aggressive pep talks; but he still blushes a bit. “If you say so.”

“I do and - oh shit, loverboy’s coming this way.”

It’s safe to say Jeonghan _panics._

Well, maybe not panics so much as quickly smooths down his hair and plasters a bright smile on his face. But he can feel how desperate and jerky his movements are and Joshua snickers at him.

Thankfully though all teasing grins are gone from his face the moment Seungcheol arrives at their table. Because Joshua _is_ his best friend, after all.

Seungcheol smiles in the way that shows off his gums and Jeonghan’s insides flutter at the sight of it. That’s it, that’s the smile that made him fall in love with Seungcheol, and he can’t help but smile back (he at least hopes his is charming and not dumb and big like it feels).

“I’m sure you two already know,” Seungcheol says, “but we’ll be closing in a few minutes.”

“No problem,” Joshua responds, sounding as casual and normal as anyone should in this situation. As casual and normal as Jeonghan wishes he could be. And then his eyes flick towards Jeonghan for the briefest of moments. “We’ll be out of your hair by then.” The way he looks at Jeonghan is insistent, pointed, and Jeonghan sighs heavily at it.

Joshua might be his best friend but he’s still annoying as shit. Even if he claims to have good intentions.

“Um,” he says smartly and then Seungcheol looks at him and he almost chokes on his own saliva. Goddamn, he’s so incredibly beautiful it actually kind of hurts. It definitely boggles the mind and Jeonghan struggles to find words so he doesn’t seem like an idiot. But, he figures, that ship sailed months ago when he’d been looking into Seungcheol eyes upon being handed his drink and spilled hot coffee all down his front. “Uh, so - um. Uh, my - my drink was excellent tonight. Thank you.”

Excellent.

_Excellent._

Who says that anymore?

Holy fucking God, Jeonghan is a _mess._

Out of his peripheral he can see Joshua’s shoulders rise and fall with another heavy sigh. But Seungcheol smiles all the same, probably out of professionalism and congeniality than anything else. But still, it’s a smile. “Good,” he says. “I’m glad. I mean, you’re in here like every day so I hope by now I’d be able to make it right.”

Jeonghan can’t help it and he blushes at Seungcheol’s words. His face and chest are heating up and he knows he must be bright red but thankfully Seungcheol chooses that moment to bid them goodnight and walk away, back towards his counter that leaves him untouchable. Back towards the pedestal Jeonghan has had him on for years.

Joshua throws a dirty napkin at him with a sigh. “You, Yoon Jeonghan, are hopeless.”

It’s not a fucking lie.

He remembers the first time he ever saw Choi Seungcheol. The sun had been in his eyes and with the way he rushed around campus, freshman nerves in his system, Jeonghan hadn’t been paying attention to anything in front of him. He’d just been trying to nail down his classes and figure out the best routes to them -

And he’d ran straight into the most beautiful boy he’d ever seen.

Back then he wasn’t built like the brick wall he is now and his teeth had been a bit crooked, but Jeonghan still swooned because _of course_ he did. How could he not, looking into those big beautiful eyes and that heart wrenching gummy smile? He’d sat unhelpfully on his ass while Seungcheol picked up his books with one hand and then offered to help him up with the other. And for a moment, Jeonghan just stared at him dumbfounded, trying to register what had happened.

Trying to register the perfect boy in front of him.

“Shit, you’re not hurt are you?” Seungcheol had started, easing into a ramble about taking Jeonghan to the hospital and of course it’d be just his luck he’d give someone a concussion at freshman orientation -

And then Jeonghan had taken his hand, marveled at the strength in his grasp. His skin was soft and smooth against Jeonghan’s own - and gone far too quickly for Jeonghan’s liking. Because as soon as he’d stood up Seungcheol dropped his hand and handed him his books back.

“I’m really sorry,” he’d murmured. “You’re okay, right?”

Jeonghan nodded, wondering how socially acceptable it would be to ask to hold his hand again, and then decided against it. “Y-yeah, I’m fine.”

“Okay good.”

There was some yelling then, a bunch of boys in letterman jackets a few feet away calling out a name Jeonghan didn’t recognize.

Seungcheol (whose name he didn’t know at the time; in fact in his head he was simply “cute boy”) grinned and murmured something about “see you around” before running off to join his friends.

And Jeonghan watched him go, black hair bouncing as he went, knowing he was well and thoroughly whipped.

As the semesters have gone on, they tend to share at least one or two classes every year. The first half of their third year had been torture for Jeonghan, as they’d had no classes together at all (until Seungcheol got a job at the cafe that semester, and then Jeonghan developed a rather timely dependency on coffee). And this semester, the last of their college career, they’re coincidentally both taking sociology.

Jeonghan registered for it on a whim (it’s not something he needs for his Korean Language & Lit degree but it sounded fun and he needed the credits) and, as usual, got there earlier than most everyone else before their first class. Which wasn’t hard to do since it’s an eight-thirty class. He scoped out a seat near the back and sits there now, laptop awake and waiting, as he watches the other students file in. Their campus borders on the intermediate size so he recognizes a few people he’s talked to before but none he would really call friends. There’s Kwon Soonyoung, dance major with dreams bigger than his mouth. Xu Minghao, a quiet Chinese transfer who, like Jeonghan, tends to just sit quietly and analyze things (they took the same science lab last year and got the highest marks in the class). Jeon Wonwoo, a fellow language & lit major and without a doubt the smartest fucking kid on their campus.

And then, surrounded by his usual posse of athletes and rich kids, strides in Choi Seungcheol.

He’s got a different air about him than the kids he hangs out with; he’s not as self-absorbed or dismissive. But there’s still a power to the way he walks and he catches everyone’s attention as he strolls in. Some of his friends bid him goodbye with bizarre “bro” handshakes that Jeonghan has never understood and some of them stay, joining him front and center in the first row.

And goddamn, the butterflies in Jeonghan’s stomach have not let up. He can’t help but watch Seungcheol, even after class has started, because he’s just so _beautiful._ The way his dashing smile lights up his entire face. How he sits quietly and actually pays attention, even gently shushing the squirrelly Kim Mingyu at his side when he’s a bit too loud. How he raises his hand gracefully and contributes his opinions. And he sounds so… sophisticated. So smart.

It only serves to make Jeonghan fall even more in love with him, so that by the time class ends Jeonghan hasn’t retained any information or taken any notes.

Head empty, just Seungcheol, as Hansol might say.

Sometimes, when Joshua’s busy or doesn’t want to spend his entire evening at the cafe, Jeonghan takes his earbuds with him, and he watches the goings on from their usual corner table like the creep he is. Unstudied socio notes in front of him, he just looks around. There’s a break in customers and Seungcheol’s leaning with his ass against the counter, talking to his cute coworker (the new one Joshua likes, whose name is Seokmin), and Jeonghan likes seeing him like this. The way he acts when he thinks no one's watching. He laughs brightly at something Seokmin says - God, Jeonghan can hear it in his head, he knows it by heart by now.

And then when customers come up to the counter he gives them that dazzling smile of his, as well as his undivided attention, and helps them. He handles the giggly, flirty girls well, even winking at them to get them going like the charming man he is. And sometimes he glances in Jeonghan’s direction, like he can feel his eyes on him. Like right now.

Jeonghan’s _supposed_ to be studying for their first test next week but is he? No. Not with the way Seungcheol’s familiar black t-shirt clings to his perfect muscles. And he looks at said muscles while Seungcheol finishes up with the last customer in line. He’s thoroughly distracted, enough so to the point where he doesn’t register Seungcheol turning towards him, doesn’t register him lifting his head -

Until their eyes meet.

And Jeonghan’s entire body heats up in embarrassment.

The smile Seungcheol was giving that last customer has softened into something that doesn’t show his teeth and he doesn’t look away. In fact he holds Jeonghan’s gaze. Bites his lip. It drives Jeonghan _crazy,_ but he can’t seem to tear his eyes from Seungcheol either. No matter how hot his face is getting, no matter how red he must be (Joshua would be laughing his ass off if he were here, the jerk). No matter how many people are in this coffee shop or how badly Jeonghan really needs to be studying; he doesn’t want to look away. Can’t.

But then Seokmin says something to Seungcheol, catching his attention, and the spell is broken.

Jeonghan lets out a heavy sigh, fights the urge to text Joshua and tell him to quiet down his man, and refocuses on his notes. He’s been doing so well since first year, he can’t give up now. Not when he’s so close to graduating. Cute baristas be damned. So he absorbs himself in his classwork and music, and really his ability to hyperfocus (on class, on Seungcheol) has to be some kind of superpower because he doesn’t notice the new coffee cup until it’s too late; until he looks up to find Seungcheol leaving the cafe with a hand raised in parting, apron draped on his other arm.

The new cup is sitting next to his old, now fairly cold one and he examines it with a dumb, growing smile. On the side, above the sleeve, something’s written in thin black Sharpie. _“You’ve been here for like six hours, I thought you could use another one. Don’t worry, I remembered: decaf after eight pm so you can get up for class!”_

He’d signed it the way he wrote his name on the tag on his apron: “Cheol”, with a cutesy smiley face.

Jeonghan’s heart almost explodes.

And he immediately whips out his phone to text Joshua, not even bothering to hide the stupid grin that actually hurts his cheeks a bit.

A couple weeks later a family emergency keeps him from attending class and spending his afternoon drowning his nervous system in caffeine. It’s nothing scary, just his sister getting her wisdom teeth out and she correctly figured it’d be better having Jeonghan there than their overprotective mother. So he’d gladly taken the day off to do his brotherly duty. Of course the thought of not seeing Seungcheol passed his mind (more than once if he’s being honest) but he didn’t focus on it because he could get by not seeing his silly crush for a day. And it’s not like Seungcheol would even notice he was gone. He’s got so much more to worry about, right?

Wrong. When Jeonghan steps inside the cafe the next day, determined to catch up on the notes given to him by an increasingly friendly Xu Minghao, he hears, clear as day and no doubt in a voice belonging to Choi Seungcheol:

“Jeonghan! Where were you yesterday?”

Thank God the only people in the cafe are them, Seokmin, and a couple students with earbuds in, because Jeonghan is pretty certain he’s on the way to dying. His heart is pounding, blood racing, he - he kind of feels lightheaded too?

Choi Seungcheol noticed he was gone.

Choi Seungcheol was _worried_ about him.

 _All right, don’t read too much into it,_ his brain tries but Jeonghan hardly hears it over the thundering in his ears, his body. _He noticed because you come in here every day and then you weren’t one day. That’s all._

He ventures a glance up.

And literally, actually _swoons._

Seungcheol’s eyes are so wide, his handsome features softened with concern - and then he breaks into the widest fucking gummy smile Jeonghan has ever seen. It takes every single ounce of his willpower to force himself to move, to _walk_ when Seungcheol ushers him to the counter like they’re best friends who haven’t seen each other in weeks. Like he’s got a secret to share.

So with steps that probably look more staggered than they feel he closes the distance between them and finds himself face to face with Choi Seungcheol’s perfect smile.

A smile made especially for him.

His heart melts.

“Hey,” Seungcheol murmurs. “Are you okay? You weren’t in class yesterday and - and then you didn’t come here - “

“You noticed?” is all he can muster, logical thoughts dying before they can even reach his tongue.

Choi Seungcheol knows they have a class together.

Choi Seungcheol _noticed_ him.

There’s a moment where Seungcheol’s thick eyebrows knit together, in confusion, and then it’s gone as the smile returns. A bit more tentative than before. “Of course I did. Uh, so is everything okay or - shit, it’s probably not my place to ask.” A blush - an actual _blush!_ \- creeps up his neck as his sweet smile turns a bit flustered. “You know what, nevermind. Let’s just get you your usual - “

“I’m okay,” Jeonghan says quietly, his brain still trying to process _that_ part of this conversation. “Um, yeah everything’s okay. Promise.”

Seungcheol stops mid-turn. Smiles so wide his eyes crinkle and Jeonghan thinks he might die for a second time in five minutes, which has to be some kind of a record. “Yeah? That’s good. I’m glad.”

With that he turns towards the lowkey scary-looking machines, large cup in hand, and sets to work. Jeonghan fishes his wallet out of his backpack to pay for an order that was never rung up, and Seungcheol stops him when he returns with his drink.

“It’s on the house,” he says, “because you missed a lot in class yesterday and you’re gonna need it.”

“I - thank you,” Jeonghan murmurs, his brain once again only selectively processing information, and he doesn’t really notice Seungcheol’s kind warning.

He sets up shop at his and Joshua’s normal table (for some reason, it’s always vacant even though it’s right next to the windows and under a vent) and something on the cup catches his eye again.

_“Good luck with the lecture! If you need help I’m here all night!”_

Again, he signed it as “Cheol”.

With that dumb smiley face.

If Jeonghan wasn’t in love before, he is now.

After that, it’s like someone flipped a switch because he’s on Seungcheol’s radar _constantly._ Little waves when Seungcheol strolls into class with his buddies; fond, supportive grins when Jeonghan raises his hand to talk. Wide grins when he sees Jeonghan walk into the cafe and he has his drink done and ready to go before Seokmin even finishes ringing him up. And there’s always some sort of message or doodle or both on the cup. The one time Jeonghan found the courage to ask him why, Seungcheol had just smiled, brushed his hair from his eyes, and said, “Studying isn’t easy so I thought I’d try and make it better. Make you smile.”

Surprisingly (and sometimes Jeonghan has to pinch himself to confirm this), Choi Seungcheol is actually a real person and not just a figment of his stressed out student brain.

Jeonghan is hardly sure why Seungcheol’s giving him so much attention now, but he’s definitely not complaining.

Especially when he comes up to his and Joshua’s table on his break one night and sets two small cups on the table.

Jeonghan knows the look on his own face must be comical - he doesn’t need Joshua’s amused snort to prove it, but he’s graced with it anyway - and he immediately brings the cup closer, trying to fight the urge to search for a message. “What’s this?”

Seungcheol grins, he’s _always_ grinning. “We’re getting closer to the holidays so I thought I’d bring my two favorite customers something special, on the house.”

Jeonghan’s heart swells and he watches as Joshua lifts the cup to his nose, eyebrow cocked.

“It smells pumpkin-y,” he comments with a terse voice Jeonghan knows to be jokey. “Do we look like the PSL type to you, Choi Seungcheol?”

He giggles at this, sweet and bright, and Jeonghan will implode if he hears it again. “Honestly? Yeah. But yours has a couple extra shots of espresso because I know you’re not the biggest fan of sweet things. And Jeonghan…”

He meets Seungcheol’s gaze again and tries his best to commit this look of his to memory. The fond eyes, the friendly smile, the tan sweater that somehow makes him look tiny. The way his hair falls into his eyes like some kind of dreamy young adult novel heartthrob. The kindness in his features. It’s probably his favorite thing about Seungcheol and his subconscious gladly welcomes the image. “Yes?”

Seungcheol blushes the teensiest bit. “I threw in some vanilla because you _do_ like sweet things. Uh, but it’s hot so be careful.”

And with that, he walks away.

Jeonghan bites back a scream, borne out of the uncontrollably precious way Choi Seungcheol carries himself, and Joshua laughs, the bastard.

“All right, loverboy can stick around.”

Jeonghan just glares at him, a flush creeping up his neck and face.

The day before their Chuseok break, Seungcheol asks him for his number.

They’re the only two people in the cafe that night - well besides Seokmin, who’s cleaning behind the counter - and Seungcheol’s taken a break from wiping down tables to talk to Jeonghan. They started out complaining about the homework their socio professor’s given them over the break - which has led them here.

Choi Seungcheol asking Jeonghan for his number.

“Just in case I have any questions about the homework,” he says, like Jeonghan can process anything else that came after “can I have your number?”

But he agrees, a little too enthusiastically, and types his number into Seungcheol’s phone.

And they spend the entire break texting. It’s a dream come true, really. A Chuseok miracle. His parents have even threatened to take his phone away at the dinner table and his sister, more than once, teased him about texting his boyfriend. But Jeonghan does not give a single shit because he’s texting _Choi Seungcheol._

He’s in Daegu with his family and often sends Jeonghan pictures and videos of him playing with the family dog (his daughter, as he says and Jeonghan pretends it doesn’t break his heart in the best ways). In turn Jeonghan sends photos of his sister’s mean cat who, for some reason, has decided that Jeonghan is the only person he likes. Jeonghan learns that Seungcheol was a star soccer player in high school (he doesn’t even remember where the nickname “Coups” came from but sometime back then, he says) and he’d be playing now but he’d torn his ACL a few months before high school graduation. But he’s happy it happened: _“now i can focus on my business degree without much distraction~!”_

It’s almost scary how cute he is sometimes.

And Jeonghan tells him about his own degree, the one he plans to take to law school, and Cheol is as awed and supportive as he could be. This leads them to Seungcheol’s hyung, who also went to law school, and if Jeonghan has any questions to just give them to Cheol and he’ll ask his brother.

They share nonsense conversations late at night, broken up by lowlight selfies that feature Seungcheol and his daughter, and somehow Jeonghan is jealous of a tiny white ball of fluff and fur. And in those moments, laying in his childhood bed, facing the blue light of his phone with a dopey grin, he can’t help but let his mind go down the path he tries to keep blocked off; the one with incessant signage instructing him to turn back, informing him of the dead end.

Dating Choi Seungcheol would be much like this, he concludes. Doodles on his coffee cups, late night conversations about nothing, selfies that makes his knees weak. It’d be all sweet smiles and compliments and blushes. Warm hugs and soft kisses and snuggling all the time because Seungcheol just seems like the type.

But then Cheol says something about the homework and Jeonghan comes back to himself. Sadness settles like a weight on his heart, empty and raw and enough to bring a lump to his throat.

They’re just friends, classmates, nothing more.

Seungcheol texts him during class a lot: usually dumb comments or stupid memes that make them both snort quiet giggles until the professor glares at them. And then after class they laugh together as Cheol does a great job of imitating their professor’s sour face. It feels like their own inside jokes: even Seungcheol’s buddies just kind of stand there awkwardly while Seungcheol slips an arm around Jeonghan’s shoulders and throws his head back in a peal of loud, sunshiney laughter.

It makes Jeonghan feel special, in a way only Seungcheol can.

Seungcheol’s favorite type of music are the old ballads his mother used to listen to when he was a kid and he had a massive crush on Taeyang in high school. He can crush anyone - his words - in Overwatch. He’d be an actor if he weren’t so scared (“and if I was any _good_ at acting”). He cried watching “Goblin” and “Crash Landing On You” and almost failed a business admin test because he’d spent the weekend binge-watching “Kingdom” instead of studying (but his charm had saved him, he claims). And he actually prefers hot chocolate over coffee because he already has enough problems sleeping.

“But you work in a coffee shop.”

They’re standing outside after Seungcheol’s closing shift, neither of them actually willing to say good night even though it’s eleven o’clock and they have an early class tomorrow. The early November air chills Jeonghan to the bone and he clings to his hot cup, wishing he could work up the nerve to ask Seungcheol for a hug.

He shrugs, around a sip of pumpkin-vanilla hot chocolate (“I liked it in my cocoa so I thought you’d like it in your coffee”; Jeonghan does but that’s not the _point)_. “That’s irony, I guess. But I like it here, you know? I like interacting with the customers and making them happy. Besides, now I know how to make the perfect hot chocolate.”

Jeonghan smiles and speaks before he even thinks about it. Doesn’t catch the flirty tone in his voice until two seconds later and by then it’s too late to take it back. “Maybe one day you’ll have to make it for me.”

Seungcheol just grins, cheeks a bit red from the cold (he’s definitely not blushing because why would he be?). “Maybe I will.”

When Jeonghan gets into SNU Law three days later the first person he tells is Joshua, who’s sitting two feet from him with bated breath as he opens the letter. Then he calls his mother. And then his thumb twitches towards Seungcheol’s contact name. He’s been nothing if not supportive of Jeonghan’s dreams and he’d like to know, wouldn’t he? But the thought of telling Seungcheol, of leaving him behind while they pursue their adult goals, makes his heart hurt - whether they’re friends or more. So he doesn’t say a word. He’s not ready to let go just yet.

Every closing shift of his, Seungcheol breaks the rules and lets Jeonghan stay so they can talk while he cleans up. And sometimes Jeonghan helps with what he can. Like right now. He’s behind the counter wiping sticky stains while Seungcheol takes apart the last espresso machine. It’s the least he can do, what with all the free drinks and the fact that Cheol has to stay so late by himself. Besides, he likes the alone time. Likes working in comfortable silence with Seungcheol so close by. It’s domestic and intimate in its own way.

“You never told me if you got into SNU’s program,” Cheol says, glancing up from the machine to meet Jeonghan’s gaze with a gentle smile.

Jeonghan can’t help it; he blushes and still his hands on the counter. “That’s because I didn’t want to,” he whispers, his brain obviously ignoring the filters in place and just doing whatever the fuck it wants.

Seungcheol frowns. “Why not, Hannie? Did you not get in?”

“I did,” he sighs.

His eyes widen but any excitement he feels must be dampened by Jeonghan’s tone, because he sighs too. “But…?”

They both stop what they’re doing and lean against the same counter. Like this, their shoulders are touching and Jeonghan wants to burrow into his warmth. Forget the world. But he can’t, so he doesn’t. “But…” God, is he actually going to do this?

He can hear Joshua in his head, telling him to just do it. To face up and confess.

He can hear his sister in his head, teasing him about texting his “boyfriend”.

He can hear Seungcheol and his giggles and his “Hannie”s.

“But,” he tries again. His voice is weak and it almost fails on his tongue, but he keeps going. Shoves past the anxiety in his throat, shoves past the thoughts weighing him down. Shoves through everything because this might be his last chance. They’re pushing December and if Seungcheol rejects him - well, that’s it. In a month they won’t see each other again. So no worries.

“I’ve - I’ve been in love with you since I bumped into you at freshman orientation,” he whispers, staring at the somehow pristine floor in front of them. “And as stupid as this sounds, I’ve really _enjoyed_ being in love with you and I guess I don’t wanna lose that? So i-if I told you that would mean all of this - graduating and-and leaving - is real and I don’t…”

“Hannie.”

He doesn’t look up at Seungcheol’s sweet, comforting voice. Doesn’t want to see what he knows will be there, because he’s never stood a chance, Cheol’s just a friend, he doesn’t like him back - 

“Hannie, please look at me.”

“No,” he mumbles, sounding like a petulant child.

“Why not?” And the way Seungcheol sighs so patiently…

“Because you’re gonna reject me and I, quite honestly, cannot handle it.”

“Okay. But what if I won’t reject you? What if I’m in love with you too?”

He sounds sincere and it could be _real._ All the smiles, the cup doodles, the late-night conversations and closing shifts they’ve spent alone. The movie nights Seungcheol’s come over for, sharing a single blanket with Jeonghan. But it’s too good to be true. Jeonghan’s been crushing, been pining, been in love for so long that it just can’t be real.

But he has to know for sure.

So he looks up.

Seungcheol’s big, beautiful eyes are so impossibly warm as they regard him; his handsome face is drawn into the softest, fondest smile. The one Jeonghan never sees him use on anyone else. The one that makes him feel like the most special person in the world. The one that makes him lean his forehead against Seungcheol’s now, closing his eyes at the rush of emotions in his body.

“You mean it?” he whispers.

“Of course I do,” he whispers back, thumb coming up to stroke along Jeonghan’s cheekbone, and he leans into the gentle touch as best as he can, craving it. “I adore you, Jeonghan. I have for so long. I-I just never thought you felt the same.”

“I’d be stupid not to,” and he leans in close enough that their noses brush. Close enough that he can feel Seungcheol’s breath on his lips but he doesn’t close the distance between them.

Because Seungcheol does it for him.

The kiss is so soft, just a chaste press of their lips, but it ignites warmth and butterflies in Jeonghan’s body all the same. And when Cheol pulls back Jeonghan leans in more, chasing after him. Their mouths meet and Jeonghan swallows Seungcheol’s giggle and everything about this feels so right. _Seungcheol_ feels so right. Like home.

When they part again, Seungcheol cups Jeonghan’s face in his hands, rests his forehead against his. The way he strokes his cheeks leaves an electric current pulsing beneath Jeonghan’s skin and it still doesn’t feel real. That if he opens his eyes Seungcheol will be gone. But it _is_ real, Seungcheol’s here. In his arms. _Confessing_ to him.

Jeonghan wishes he could tell his freshman self about it.

He studies for his last set of finals in the cafe, amidst a sea of peppermint mochas all with different messages and drawings doodled on them. But each of the cups has one thing in common:

_“Good luck, baby! Fighting! ~ love, your boyfriend Seungcheollie.”_

They’ll figure out their future later but for now, this is enough. Sitting in his usual corner spot in the shop, looking up every couple minutes and catching Seungcheol’s bright, loving gaze above the sea of students seeking refuge and solace in this warm place.

It kinda makes the last several years worth it.

And he grins to himself as he looks back at his notes.

Choi Seungcheol is his boyfriend now.

Who would’ve thought?

**Author's Note:**

> uhhh yeah. maybe i'll write some more of this? we could all use some more barista seungcheol in our lives.
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/scoups__ahoy) | [cc](https://curiouscat.qa/scoups__ahoy) | [ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/serenawrites)!


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